


AKA Mall Santa

by Tardisee



Category: Jessica Jones (TV)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-13
Updated: 2016-01-03
Packaged: 2018-05-06 12:59:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5418011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tardisee/pseuds/Tardisee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Teenage Jessica Jones works with the mall Santa for the Holidays as an elf. She's saving up for her infamous leather jacket when someone at the mall needs her help...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

I got to the point where I refused to let Trish’s mom pay for anything. I knew she was doing the minimum, giving me a place to stay and everything. But all I wanted was this black leather jacket I had been eyeing for months. No ways I would ask her to buy it for me, it would just mean she would pimp out Trish more. So, I did the unthinkable.

 

I got a job working with the mall Santa.

 

The elf outfit they made me wear was ridiculous. It was all red and green felt, the shoes curled at the ends and had a little bell. The elf hat had a bell on it too. I had to stand outside of Santa’s chair, to greet and direct people to the line. As sucky as it sounded, it was an easy way to make money.

My boss had this weird obsession with my smiling. It’s not like I was scowling when I was on my post, but he kept telling me I had to “show more teeth” when I smile. I’d like to rip some of his teeth out of his mouth.

It was the week before Christmas and I was absolutely exhausted. The lines kept getting longer and the wait lasted for hours. Cranky children and cranky adults passed my ways with “how longs” and “we can’t wait” like I was the gatekeeper for a fat man in a costume. I wanted to tell them “It’s not that deep, lady. Your kid would rather be at home than wait in line for two hours, trust me” But instead, I gave them my manager teeth smile and told them I was sorry for the inconvenience. They’d huff off and wait several more hours for a $10 picture. I’ll never understand people.

On this particular Christmas Eve, a little girl tugs at the bottom of my costume. Children, I never mind talking to them. They’re so much better than the cranky parents. So when a child comes my way, my smile is always genuine, even if it doesn’t look toothy enough for my manager.

She is a small child, probably around six, her eyes are big and blue, her hair in frizzy blonde curls. She wears a bright pink puffy coat that perfectly matches the color of the glittery lip gloss on her lips.

“Hi there!” I tell her “Are you here to see Santa?”

“No, I was wondering if you can tell him something for me”

I kneel down to her “Sure”

“Can you tell him I want superpowers for Christmas?”

“Superpowers? Why do you want that?”

“I want to beat up my uncle”

I turn my head. Crap. How do I even handle this conversation “No, you don’t want to hurt him. He loves you”

“No he doesn’t” She says to me in a soft, sad tone

I look at her for a minute, studying her face. Her eyes want to tell me something, or am I just projecting what I think she’s trying to say to me.

Before I can ask any more questions, a man comes out of nowhere and yaks her arm.

“We’re late come on! I’ve been looking for you everywhere” He yaks her so hard, she loses her balance and almost falls. The man seems frustrated by this and pulls her even harder that she yelps.

“Hey!” I yell “Hey stop!”

The man pushes a woman in line to get away faster, dragging the poor little girl behind him, who is struggling to keep up.

I don’t have time to tell myself to not reveal myself. I leave my post and I follow close behind. He zig zags through the crowd and then finally makes a turn down an empty hallway that goes toward the parking garage. I wait, until he slows down and he thinks he’s alone. I’m right there in front of his face.

“How did you-“he starts but I lift him up by his chin, his eyes terrified and big. I hold him there for a moment, staring him down, making him suffer with each second. Then I toss him, toward the wall. He lands with a thud and slides down to the floor.

I approach him, grabbing his face “If you ever hurt her again, I’ll know, and I’ll be back” I push his face away as he trembles with fear. Cowards always pick on those smaller and weaker than they are. But knowing there’s someone out there bigger and stronger, it gives them a wakeup call.

I look back at the girl, who is almost smiling. I walk past her and pet her head for one last time. I head back to my post before anyone knows I’ve been gone.

 

Revealing my powers to save a little girl? Worth it.


	2. 10 years later

....................... 10 years later ....................... 

Fucking therapy, Jesus Christ this is what my life was turning into. 

It's been months since we last burned Kilgrave in that fire. I thought watching him die would make me feel free. But instead I had flashbacks. Every stranger around the corner I was sure it was him. Every shade of purple made me shake uncontrollably. I was more afraid of him now than I ever was. Being under his control clouded my judgment. But breaking away and knowing it was real terrified me. 

Trish let me sleep on her couch. Actually, she insisted I take the bedroom but I refused. I'd tell her that the couch was comfy, but really it's because I wanted to be near the door. 

I had another dream, where I'm watching myself sleep. I wake up and Kilgrave is standing over me. How did he get in? What do I do now? 

He grabs me by my face, lifts me straight up off the couch. 

"Smile" He tells me. 

I wake up hearing myself making this awful moaning sound, like I'm trying to let out a scream but can't. It's not until I am fully awake that I start screaming. 

Trish comes running in and I yell at her to go, to run. 

"He's not here. Not here" She says in a calming tone, waving her arms like a referee. 

It takes me a moment to realize this. I'm so filled with fear and anxiety. It shoots through me like a rocket but I can feel myself coming back to reality. Trish calmly sits by me as I try to catch my breath. 

Fucking therapy. I know she wants me to go. She's been bugging me about it for months. 

After we sit in silence for what seems like hours, I say. "Fine, I'll go. Call and make me an appointment." 

…. 

I walk in a room with my head down but I can see and feel everyone. Abuse survivors group. I didn't really want to go to group therapy, but I caved because it's cheaper. I didn't want to have to owe her any money. Not that Trish would make a big deal out of it, it's just the principle of things. 

The chairs are in a circle so that we can all face each other. Goddamit. I don't want to face anyone. I stare at my shoes as the group leader starts to speak. 

"Hello everyone, I see some new faces" Says a woman in a high pitched, chipper voice. She must be the therapist or whatever. I don't look at her face, only at her shoes. She has brown slip on shoes, white socks, and flowy brown pants. She must be at least 50 years old. "Why don't we go around the room and introduce each other?" She says 

The room mumbled with Sarah's and Michael's and Danielle's and Jane's and then I mumbled my name. 

My mind wasn't really present for most of the session. I spent most of the time looking at my shoes. God these things were dirty, maybe I should buy some new ones. 

"Would anyone else like to share a positive story? Maybe a moment you felt empowered? These sessions are all about finding your power..." I hear the therapist say after a long moment of me zoning out. She's way too cheerful for an environment like this. Or maybe that’s the point. It's supposed to make us feel more comfortable or whatever. 

"I would" a soft voice says next to me "I'm not sure if it counts though" 

"Please speak, Abi, the floor is yours" The therapist says. Her knees shift toward the girl, like she's giving her undivided attention to her. 

"My life wasn't always perfect, but I guess I had one moment in my life where things did start to turn around" 

Something about her voice made me look up at her. The girl was fairly young and there was something about her face. She had these big blue eyes and blonde hair that curled around her shoulders. You could tell that she had been through a lot, her big blue eyes seemed to have a sadness to them, but there was something bright about her at the same time. 

"Go on, Abi" 

"Yes, well, as you all know my uncle was pretty abusive, but he took care of me when my parents died so I felt like it was my fault. But one time, there was this, this girl, she had dark black hair and she was the elf at the mall. It was around Christmas time. I knew she wasn't a real elf, but I thought I'd take my chances" _Holy shit, is it.... _"I went up and told her that I wanted superpowers so I can beat up my uncle..." _Oh my god _"I don’t remember what she said to me, but my uncle sees me and grabs me, like he always did. I knew I was gonna get it when I got home, but something about this had me even more scared. I had this awful feeling I had in my stomach"____

"It's okay, Abi" I thought I heard the counselor say, but it was my voice. 

"The girl, she, she saved me! She started to kick his ass right then and there. And then she said something to him. And after that, he never touched me. Never. He'd lose his mind if he even saw a girl with black hair" 

"And how did that make you feel?" The counselor chimed in. 

"Good, like someone was watching over me, like someone cared" 

"What would you say if you could see her now?" Says the counselor 

The girl starts crying, "I would say thank you, because...I would have never had the strength to leave, to call for help, to..." She breaks down in sobs. A chorus of "we're here for you"s from the other people echos across the room. 

I break the no touching rule, I go for her hand. No one stops me. 

She has a moment where she looks deep into my eyes, like she remembers but in a moment it's gone. 

I smile at her, and she smiles back through her tears. I tell her it's ok. 

I've been saving people since before I could save myself. I can do this. I can free myself from Kilgrave.


End file.
